Hopescourt School English Language Curriculum Intent 

We aim to foster confidence, curiosity, and a passion for literature and language, ensuring that all students achieve their personal best and leave Hopescourt equipped with the tools they need for their next steps in life. 

Cornerstone 1: Engagement 

Vision Theme: Learning with Courage 

We believe in fostering curiosity and a love of language through creative, inclusive, and meaningful experiences. Adaptive teaching ensures all pupils, including those with SEND, can access high-quality learning.  In English, our Key Stage 3 curriculum introduces students to a diverse range of accessible fiction and non-fiction texts, including 19th-century literature, contemporary works, poetry from various cultures, and functional texts- developing empathy, cultural awareness, and confidence in self-expression. 

Reading is at the heart of our school culture. Lessons are built around accessible, rich, and relevant texts that spark discussion and reflection. Tutor-led reading sessions, phonics support, and our engaging monthly reading challenges promote fluency, comprehension, and a lifelong love of reading. We understand that reading can be a challenge, so we focus on building mechanical skills, confidence, and enjoyment. 

Cornerstone 2: Aspiration 

Vision Theme: Thrive through Ambition 

We believe every learner can achieve excellence in English. Our curriculum is ambitious and responsive, aligning with national standards while being tailored to individual needs. At Key Stage 4, students follow personalised pathways, working towards GCSE English Language and English Literature as an additional option. 

Students are supported to develop exam literacy and independence through scaffolded, ambitious tasks.  Communication is central to our approach—students are encouraged to express themselves, share ideas, and find their voice within their communities. 

Cornerstone 3: Flourishing 

Vision Theme: Become Future Ready 

Flourishing is our ultimate goal. English and literacy remain pivotal, embedded across a practical, real-life curriculum. Students continue to develop their reading and writing skills while exploring literature that broadens their understanding of different cultures and perspectives. 

At Hopescourt, English is more than a subject — it is the foundation of voice, identity, and opportunity. Through Engagement, Aspiration, and Preparation for Adulthood, our English curriculum builds confident communicators ready to thrive in learning and in life. 

Hopescourt School Curriculum Intent – English Literature 

We aim to ignite a lifelong love of reading by immersing students in powerful stories, ideas, and voices that help them understand both themselves and the world around them. Through the study of literature, students develop empathy, critical thinking, and the ability to express complex ideas with confidence. Our Literature curriculum encourages courage, curiosity, and reflection — enabling every student to thrive academically and personally. 

Cornerstone 1: Engagement 

Vision Theme: Learning with Courage 

We believe that every student can find their voice and place within literature. Our English Literature curriculum introduces pupils to diverse texts that explore moral, social, and historical contexts. From Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, and Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, students engage with stories that question power, responsibility, and human nature. Through the Power and Conflict poetry cluster, they explore emotion, perspective, and identity across time and culture. 

Lessons are designed to be accessible, engaging, and inclusive. Teachers use adaptive approaches — including scaffolded reading, visual and audio support, and guided discussion — so all learners, including those with SEND, can access challenging ideas and language. Pupils are encouraged to respond creatively and personally, developing both analytical and emotional literacy. 

Reading is placed at the heart of every lesson. We model expressive reading, provide structured opportunities for paired and group reading, and ensure students can experience the power of literature aloud. We believe courage grows when students are supported to explore meaning and make mistakes in a safe, encouraging classroom. 

Cornerstone 2: Aspiration 

Vision Theme: Thrive through Ambition 

Our ambition is for every student to achieve excellence in English Literature, not only in examination outcomes but in their ability to interpret, question, and appreciate language and ideas. The AQA Literature course provides a rigorous, academic foundation through four rich texts: 

• Macbeth — exploring ambition, guilt, and fate. 

• An Inspector Calls — interrogating responsibility, morality, and class. 

• A Christmas Carol — examining redemption and social justice. 

• Power and Conflict Poetry — connecting individual experience to broader themes of identity and humanity. 

Students develop independence and confidence through structured essay planning, modelled responses, and low-stakes retrieval practice. We build exam literacy over time, using explicit modelling, annotation strategies, and comparison frameworks to develop critical and evaluative skills. Every student is encouraged to develop a personal interpretation — to find their own voice within the texts. 

Cornerstone 3: Flourishing 

Vision Theme: Become Future Ready 

Flourishing in Literature means more than recalling quotations — it means becoming thoughtful, empathetic, and articulate individuals who can make sense of the world through words. Our students learn to express complex ideas clearly, listen to different viewpoints respectfully, and write with control and conviction. 

The study of Literature broadens horizons and develops cultural capital. Students encounter universal questions of morality, identity, and justice that prepare them for life beyond school — in education, work, and society. They learn to see reading as both a personal refuge and a powerful tool for understanding others. 

At Hopescourt, English Literature is not simply preparation for an exam; it is preparation for life. Through Engagement, Aspiration, and Flourishing, our curriculum nurtures reflective, ambitious, and compassionate young people who can read the world critically and contribute thoughtfully to it. 

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Hopescourt School Curriculum Intent – English Literature 

We aim to ignite a lifelong love of reading by immersing students in powerful stories, ideas, and voices that help them understand both themselves and the world around them. Through the study of literature, students develop empathy, critical thinking, and the ability to express complex ideas with confidence. Our Literature curriculum encourages courage, curiosity, and reflection — enabling every student to thrive academically and personally. 

Cornerstone 1: Engagement 

Vision Theme: Learning with Courage 

We believe that every student can find their voice and place within literature. Our English Literature curriculum introduces pupils to diverse texts that explore moral, social, and historical contexts. From Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, and Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, students engage with stories that question power, responsibility, and human nature. Through the Power and Conflict poetry cluster, they explore emotion, perspective, and identity across time and culture. 

Lessons are designed to be accessible, engaging, and inclusive. Teachers use adaptive approaches — including scaffolded reading, visual and audio support, and guided discussion — so all learners, including those with SEND, can access challenging ideas and language. Pupils are encouraged to respond creatively and personally, developing both analytical and emotional literacy. 

Reading is placed at the heart of every lesson. We model expressive reading, provide structured opportunities for paired and group reading, and ensure students can experience the power of literature aloud. We believe courage grows when students are supported to explore meaning and make mistakes in a safe, encouraging classroom. 

Cornerstone 2: Aspiration 

Vision Theme: Thrive through Ambition 

Our ambition is for every student to achieve excellence in English Literature, not only in examination outcomes but in their ability to interpret, question, and appreciate language and ideas. The AQA Literature course provides a rigorous, academic foundation through four rich texts: 

• Macbeth — exploring ambition, guilt, and fate. 

• An Inspector Calls — interrogating responsibility, morality, and class. 

• A Christmas Carol — examining redemption and social justice. 

• Power and Conflict Poetry — connecting individual experience to broader themes of identity and humanity. 

Students develop independence and confidence through structured essay planning, modelled responses, and low-stakes retrieval practice. We build exam literacy over time, using explicit modelling, annotation strategies, and comparison frameworks to develop critical and evaluative skills. Every student is encouraged to develop a personal interpretation — to find their own voice within the texts. 

Cornerstone 3: Flourishing 

Vision Theme: Become Future Ready 

Flourishing in Literature means more than recalling quotations — it means becoming thoughtful, empathetic, and articulate individuals who can make sense of the world through words. Our students learn to express complex ideas clearly, listen to different viewpoints respectfully, and write with control and conviction. 

The study of Literature broadens horizons and develops cultural capital. Students encounter universal questions of morality, identity, and justice that prepare them for life beyond school — in education, work, and society. They learn to see reading as both a personal refuge and a powerful tool for understanding others. 

At Hopescourt, English Literature is not simply preparation for an exam; it is preparation for life. Through Engagement, Aspiration, and Flourishing, our curriculum nurtures reflective, ambitious, and compassionate young people who can read the world critically and contribute thoughtfully to it. 

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